Greater Manchester Destination Management Plan · Party Conferences 2013-17, Soccerex Global Convention 2014-17 and Chartered Institute of Housing 2012 and 2013. • The 2010 Conference

Greater Manchester Destination Management Plan:The visitor economy action plan 2012-13

Published April 2012

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GREATER MANCHESTER DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

The Destination Management Plan (DMP) is an action planfor the visitor economy for Greater Manchester that sitsbelow the tourism strategy, ‘A Tourism Strategy for GreaterManchester 2008-13’. The plan is updated each year tocapture what has been achieved, where we are now and what needs to be done to achieve our growth targets. The activity includes not only the plans of the Tourist Board, Visit Manchester*, but also those of otherstakeholders and partners such as the ten local authoritiesof Greater Manchester (Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Manchester,Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan),Manchester Airport, other agencies and the tourismbusinesses themselves.

The DMP is a partnership document which is co-ordinatedand written by Visit Manchester but which will now bedeveloped through consultation with all the appropriatestakeholders through the Manchester Visitor EconomyForum. The Forum will meet bi-monthly, and comprisessenior representatives from various visitor economystakeholders. The Forum will be responsible for developingand agreeing the DMP and monitoring delivery of theactions by all relevant stakeholders.

In summary the DMP will;

• Specify where we are now and what we want to achieve over the next 12 months

• Review and set priorities, actions and targets

• Identify roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders

• Act as a key tool for consultation and engagement under the management of the Manchester Visitor Economy Forum

Members of the Manchester Visitor Economy Forum (as at April 2012)

The Chair of the Forum is Paul Simpson, Managing Directorof Visit Manchester. Current members are as follows withothers still to be confirmed;

Angie Robinson, Chief Executive, Manchester Central

Caroline Plant, Marketing Director, Manchester Airport

Julia Fawcett, Chief Executive,The Lowry

Keith Davies, Director of Development and Regeneration,Bolton Council (AGMA)

Mike Gibbons, Director of International Development,University of Manchester

Paul Simpson, Managing Director, Visit Manchester

Sara Tomkins, Assistant Chief Executive, Manchester City Council

Stephen Miles, Chair, Manchester Hoteliers Association

Vaughan Allen, Chief Executive, CityCo

*Visit Manchester is the tourist board for Greater Manchester and is a division ofMarketing Manchester. Marketing Manchester is the agency charged with promotingthe city on a national and international stage. We aim to develop Greater Manchesterinto a leading leisure, learning and business destination for domestic and internationalvisitors, enhance the national and international reputation of the city-region andpromote sustainable economic development and growth.

1.0 Introduction

The Quays

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VisitEngland

England has had a new national tourism body since 2009,VisitEngland.

VisitEngland launched a new ‘Strategic Framework forTourism 2010-2020’ with the aim of providing the basis forpublic and private sectors to continue to enhance thequality of the product on offer and for Government at alllevels to encourage such investment. The headline ambitionis for 5% year on year growth over the ten year period ofthe strategy.

The Strategic Framework aims to achieve fourinterdependent objectives which are;

• To increase England’s share of global visitor markets

• To offer compelling destinations of distinction

• To champion a successful, thriving industry

• To facilitate greater engagement between the visitor and the experience

VisitEngland subsequently launched a number of actionplans: nine plus the All England marketing strategy in June2011 and three more in January 2012. Visit Manchester isfully involved in the delivery of these action plans, as well asbeing one of four Pathfinder areas for VisitEngland and is amember of the national Destinations Forum. Manchesterhas been identified as a primary destination inVisitEngland’s successful RGF bid which will deliveradditional marketing activity from 2012 - 2015.

Vision for Greater Manchester

As stated in ‘A Tourism Strategy for Greater Manchester2008 – 2013’, Our vision is to build, ‘a city region fit for thepeople of Manchester, that delivers a better quality of lifefor the three million people who live and work here. If webuild a destination that is fit for us then we will create afuture City that will attract people from all over theworld, particularly those with a thirst for discovery.’

Objectives

• To improve the visitor experience

• To enhance communication with visitors

• To develop the infrastructure

• To create iconic events, developments, initiatives andopportunities

• To ensure a better quality of life for residents

• To increase the productivity and performance of thetourism businesses

• To improve the skills level of people working in the visitoreconomy

• To improve community benefits:- accessibility, diversityand an inclusive night-time economy

2.0 Strategic Context

Imperial War Museum North, The Quays Spinningfields

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The targets for Greater Manchester are set in line with the tourism strategy which runs from 2008 to 2013. Some of these targets were set at the beginning of theTourism Strategy period, others have been revised following the Tourism Strategy review in 2011. Targetsthrough to 2013 are:

• To increase staying visitor numbers from 9.6m to 10.6m

• To increase the number of overseas visitors from 1.19mto 1.3m

• To increase the value of tourism from £5.4bn to £6bn

• To increase the number of jobs supported from 73,540 to 81,000 (FTE) jobs

• To improve the economic impact of business tourism to Greater Manchester from £573m (2009 baseline) to £950m

• To increase the percentage of national and international Association business from 13% (2009 baseline) to 25%

• To improve national and international perceptions (Anholt)

• To maintain and ideally improve visitor satisfaction levels

Baseline data is from 2007 unless stated.Progress so far is shown in the table on page 13.

3.0 Targets

The Lowry, The Quays

Priority 1: Enhancing the Image

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4.0 Achievements since 2008

• Since 2008, 505 international journalists have been hostedin Manchester from target markets including USA, China,India, UAE, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands.

• Media coverage with an AVE of more than £5.3m hasbeen generated, with profile in publications such as theLonely Planet, New York Times, Singapore Tatler, EtihadInflight Magazine and the Financial Times.

• A positive shift in perceptions has been tracked in theAnholt City Brands Index. Since 2009 we have movedahead of Dubai and Dublin, pulled an extra three placesclear of Edinburgh, and have closed the gap on Brusselsand Chicago – only one and two places behindrespectively in 2011, whereas we were seven and eightplaces behind in 2009.

• Perceptions in our priority target markets have alsoimproved, with the USA, China and Brazil showing thestrongest improvement between 2009 and 2011, and theUK having the most positive shift between 2007 and 2009.

• Marketing Manchester has established both an imagebank and a footage bank, enabling partners, stakeholdersand the media access to high quality still and movingimages of the city region. Broadcast footage ofManchester has been downloaded by ESPN, Nickleodeon,MTV and ITV among others.

• The I Love MCR campaign, developed in response to theriots in August 2011, was targeted specifically at nurturingthe swell of civic pride and educating residents on theassets of the city region. In three weeks, the campaigngenerated 27k ‘likes’ on facebook; 40k mentions ontwitter (trending twice in the UK) with a total digital valueof more than £95k; an outdoor profile with a commercialvalue of over £200k and media coverage with an AVE ofover £750k.

Bruntwood staff (taking part in ‘I Love MCR’ campaign)


• Our approach to domestic and international promotionalactivity has evolved into a seasonal, multi-faceted, multichannel approach. A promotional strategy framework hasbeen developed that enables key messages to becollated, prioritised and communicated in the mosttargeted way possible.

• In 2011, the Summer and Christmas campaigns delivereda collective media reach of more than £3m, attractingover 400,000 visitors to the specific campaign areas ofvisitmanchester.com.

• Domestic promotional activity has increasingly focusedon families as well as the more traditional audience ofcosmopolitan couples and discoverers; thematiccampaigns such as Modern History, Manchester’sCountryside and Creative Tourist which promote the offeracross Greater Manchester have gained traction in keyniche markets.

• Wherever possible, international marketing campaigns aredelivered in partnership with airlines and destinationairports, levering match funding and extending the reachof seasonal campaign messages to key leisure tourismmarkets. Highlights have included a partnership withGermanwings that saw an increase in bookings fromCologne to Manchester of more than 11%.

• In partnership with Manchester Airport, MIDAS and theNWDA, Marketing Manchester managed the delivery ofthe £1.9m Air Services Delivery Fund, focused on routeretention and development in the primary markets of USA and India. Successes included: United Continentallaunching an additional route from Washington toManchester from May 2012, American introduced a dailyflight from JFK from April 2011, Delta re-introduced JFKand retained the Atlanta – Manchester route. Increasedfrequency to Singapore and increased frequency andcapacity to India via the Middle East were also secured.

• Promotion of Manchester’s business tourism offer hasbeen enhanced through the redevelopment ofvisitmanchester.com/conference and through continuedinvestment in the production and distribution of theConference Guide, and a Manchester presence at keyexhibitions such as Confex.

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Priority 2: Promoting Manchester to national and international visitors

Castlefield

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• Business Tourism is a key priority for Visit Manchesterwho has a clear and robust approach to targetinginternational and national association conferences inpartnership with key stakeholders.

• Manchester has hosted a number of key high profileconferences in the last few years including: Conservativeand Labour Party Annual Conferences, CIPD, SoccerexEuropean Forum, British Council of Shopping Centres,UNISON, TUC, Museums Association Annual Conference &Exhibition and the World Youth Student Tourism Congress.

• A number of multi-year agreements for futureconferences have been signed including ConservativeParty Conferences 2013-17, Soccerex Global Convention2014-17 and Chartered Institute of Housing 2012 and 2013.

• The 2010 Conference Value and Volume Survey identifiedthat the sector contributed £573m into the local economyin 2009. This not only provided a benchmark for theeconomic impact of conferences, but demonstrates theimportance of business tourism to Greater Manchester.

• Manchester instigated a two year relationship with theMeetings Industry Association (MIA) to provide supportedmembership for venues to achieve AIM accreditation (the national quality kitemark). Manchester has one of the highest concentrations of AIM accredited conferencevenues in the country.

• Continual investment into the conference product, with key venues such as Manchester Central andLancashire County Cricket Club,Trafford havingundertaken significant improvements since 2008.

Priority 3: Creating a Leading Conference and Business Tourism Destination

Conservative Party Annual Conference, Manchester Central


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• Significant progress has been made with the opening ofthe all new Manchester Visitor Information Centre (MVIC)in 2010 in its new location. The MVIC is now accessing amuch higher proportion of visitors as well as localresidents and is scoring higher in most categories in thevisitor satisfaction surveys. Reflecting changes incustomer behaviour, the MVIC is the first visitor centre inEurope to use interactive Microsoft Surface Tables,allowing people to interact directly with the informationavailable and discover a wide range of informationindependently. A Manchester Twitter feed streams ontoscreens and a 12-screen video wall advertises local and regional attractions. The primary asset of the MVICremains the experienced team of staff who ‘walk’ thecentre freely, welcoming an annual footfall of over232,000.

• visitmanchester.com has undergone a completeredevelopment, with unique visitors growing from785,000 in 2008 to a level that will exceed two million

by the end of 2011/12. The new website has taken adistinct and bold step away from the traditional touristboard approach and incorporates real time informationfrom real people, delivering a genuine, honestinterpretation of the city.

• Improvements have also been made in the consistencyand use of data on the destination management system,which now feeds both the MVIC and visitmanchester.com.

• MCR, Manchester’s destination magazine, launched in2008 and has grown to become a biannual publicationthat delivers high quality editorial content whichshowcases the best that the city region has to offer.

• Across Greater Manchester; Stockport launched a newwebsite, Bury TIC relocated to a shared visitor servicesarea in The Fusilier Museum in 2009 and improvementshave been made to both signage and way finding inBolton and Bury.

Priority 4: Improving the provision of information to visitors

The Manchester Visitor Information Centre

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Quality and Skills

• There have been improvements in the number of QiT*and VAQAS* quality accredited businesses throughoutGreater Manchester since 2008.

• The ninth Manchester Tourism Awards will take place inAutumn 2012. Manchester Tourism Award winners haveenjoyed good success at the regional Northwest awardswith the winners then progressing onto the national EnjoyEngland Awards where seven Manchester businesseshave won silver awards since 2007. The winners of the2012 national awards will be announced in May of thisyear, Manchester has four nominees for 2012, includingManchester Visitor Information Centre in the TouristInformation Provider of the Year category.

• Over 1,000 people and almost 900 businesses in GreaterManchester have benefitted from NWDA/VisitManchester subsidised customer service, leadership andmanagement, marketing and young chefs training andskills programmes.

Events

• Greater Manchester has made significant progress inattracting and delivering high profile ‘iconic’ cultural andsporting events since 2008.

• Manchester’s rich cultural offering through its events,collections and exhibitions has been highlighted with the

development of events such as; Manchester InternationalFestival, Manchester Pride, Food & Drink Festivals inBolton, Salford, Manchester, Tameside and Trafford,Rochdale Feel Good Festival, Ramsbottom Chocolate andMusic Festivals, Stockport Festival of Light,TheManchester Weekender, AND Festival, and theManchester Literature Festival.

• Following the Commonwealth Games in 2002,Manchester developed a major events strategy which ledto the ‘Manchester World Sport 2008’ campaign resultingin Manchester being named the ‘World’s Best City forSport’, at the Sports Business Awards in November 2008.Manchester has continued to outperform in hostingmajor events including; Ironman UK Triathlon – Bolton,National and European Badminton Championships,National Squash Championships, Rugby and Cricket TestMatches, International Taekwondo Open Championships,World Netball Series, Track Cycling World Cup, Para-cycling World Championships, World ChampionshipBoxing, British National BMX Series, RFL Super LeagueGrand Final, and the Paralympic World Cup. The GreaterManchester Marathon will be re-introduced in Traffordfrom 2012.

• In 2010 1652 face-to-face interviews in the GreaterManchester Visitors Survey 2010 scored GreaterManchester as 4.6 out of 5 for ‘unique events andfestivals’ compared to 4.3 from the 1777 sample in 2007.

Priority 5: Developing and Enhancing the Product

Bolton Market

*QiT and VAQAS are the national quality accreditation schemes for accommodation and visitor attractions.


Visitor Attractions

There has been significant investment into a number ofattractions since 2008;

• MOSI has had a £9m investment into a new RevolutionGallery, conference and learning centre, shop and café, allof which opened in January 2011.

• The People’s History Museum re-opened in 2010following a £12.5m redevelopment.

• Manchester Art Gallery along with other North Westmuseums has been in receipt of Renaissance and NWDAfunding to improve exhibitions and attendance.

• In Bury a new Lancashire Fusilier Museum opened in2009 and the redevelopment of Bury Transport Museum(£3m) was completed in 2010, Rochdale PioneersMuseum and Stockport Plaza have each receivedsignificant funding for improvements. Bolton Museum,Aquarium and Archive was extended and improvedthrough a £500k redevelopment programme.

• Bolton Market’s Food Hall opened a cookerydemonstration theatre in 2009 which together with otherdevelopments has led to an 80% increase in coach visits.

• Chetham’s School of Music is undertaking a £20m projectto improve access and facilities at the school and openvisitor facilities.

• Ordsall Hall in Salford has undertaken a £6.5m restorationusing HLF funding, re-opening in 2011.

• In Trafford, the Dunham Massey Winter Garden opened inNovember 2009, Airkix opened in January 2010, LegolandDiscovery Centre opened in March 2010, and AerialExtreme in August 2010.

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The People’s History Museum


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Lancashire County Cricket Club, Trafford

Other Investment

• The successful development of MediaCityUK includesnew hotels, retail, food and drink and leisure, as well asthe launch of BBC tours and invited show audiences.

• A £30m, three phase redevelopment of ManchesterCentral to create additional and more flexible spacesincluding a new foyer area, entrance and new eventsspace.

• A new £19m BMX Centre opened in East Manchester in2011.

• Event City opened near to the Trafford Centre in 2011providing additional event and exhibition facilities.

• The Point at Lancashire County Cricket Club,Trafford,opened in 2010 following a £190m development of thesite as a world class venue fit to host international cricket,including enhanced conference and event facilities.

• The opening of Salford City Stadium in January 2012,home to Salford Reds and Sale Sharks.

• ‘Bolton One’ a unique leisure facility with a countycompetition standard swimming pool opened in 2012.

• ‘The Excellency’ conference and Asian wedding venueopened in Bolton in 2011.

• Successful establishment of regular themed markets inStockport including vintage, handmade and crafts,teenage and local producers.

Accommodation

Greater Manchester has continued to attract hoteldevelopment since 2008, despite the difficult economictrading conditions. These include the following:

• Crowne Plaza City Centre (opened 2008, 228 rooms)

• Park Inn by Radisson (opened 2009, 252 rooms)

• Holiday Inn Express Manchester Arena (opened 2011, 192 rooms)

• Holiday Inn Express Oxford Road (opened 2010, 147 rooms)

• Stay Manchester Serviced Apartments (opened 2010, 84 apartments)

• Max Serviced Apartments (opened 2011, 85 rooms)

• Holiday Inn MediaCityUK Salford Quays (opened 2010, 218 rooms)

• Ramada Manchester Salford Quays (opened in 2009, 142 rooms)

• Travelodge, Altrincham,Trafford (opened March 2012, 99 rooms)

• Premier Inn, Bury town centre (opened 2011, 115 rooms)

• ETAP, Salford (opened 2009, 210 rooms)

• Travelodge, Radclyffe Park, Salford (opened 2011, 156 rooms)

• Premier Inn, Reebok Stadium, Bolton (opened 2008, 126 rooms)

• Travelodge, Bolton (opened 2011, 80 rooms)

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• Manchester Airport completed its £80m investment inthe re-development of both Terminal 1 and 2 during2009/10, which included improved security processes,new retail spaces and improvements to arrivals anddeparture lounges.

• ASDF funding has helped support the development ofnew and improved flights into Manchester Airport.

• Manchester Visitor Information Centre was completelyre-designed using state of the art technology and re-located to Piccadilly Gardens, opening in June 2010.

• MediaCityUK is now complete including a new tramstop, bus routes and taxi rank. A new footbridgeimproving pedestrian flow around The Quays andbetter linkages between the Imperial War MuseumNorth, Old Trafford and MediaCityUK and a 2,200 space car park.

• Redevelopment of Manchester’s Medieval Quarter.Pedestrianisation and signage has helped make thearea more visitor friendly and has defined the area ofManchester Cathedral, Chetham’s School of Music, TheTriangle Shopping Centre (in former Corn Exchangebuilding) and now the new National Football Museum.

• Successful bid for Arts Council funding for the IrwellSculpture Trail.

• Further development undertaken at the Irwell RiverPark development, a £72m urban river park connecting Salford and Manchester.

• The Rock development opened in Bury in 2010 – a £300m development with restaurants, retail andcinema supporting the night time economy andimprovements to the public realm.

• Bolton has developed Middlebrook Retail and LeisurePark since 2008 and doubled town centre coachparking spaces.

• Completion of the re-development of the StamfordQuarter (£40m) and The Graftons (£10m) in Altrincham,Trafford, plus continued land assembly to ensuredelivery of Altair, a £150m redevelopment of a five acresite which will include landscaped public squares, ahotel, retail, restaurants and a permanent ice rink.

Priority 6: Improving the Infrastructure

Manchester Airport

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Overall Performance – key measures

All economic impact figures shown are ‘unindexed’ and represent the value of tourism at that year in time

5.0 Review of Progress

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Source

Contribution to the wider economyEconomic impact to Greater Manchester(Unindexed)

£5.4bn £5.2bn £5.4bn £5.8bn STEAM

FTEs supported by tourism in Greater Manchester

73,540 73,174 75,268 76,965 STEAM

Economic impact to Manchester(Unindexed)

£2.74bn £2.62bn £2.67bn £2.93bn STEAM

FTES supported by tourism in Manchester 34,609 34,514 35,665 37,322 STEAMEconomic Impact to Greater Manchesterfrom Conference & Business Events Market

£573 m ConferenceValue &Volume

PerformanceHotel occupancy annual average – Greater Manchester

71% 74% STR Global

Hotel occupancy annual average – city centre

76% 73% 70% 72% 75% STRGlobal/LJF

ICCA ranking – UK cities 4 4 4 4 ICCAICCA ranking – Global cities 83 (21

meetings)69 (22meetings)

79 (21meetings)

86 (21meetings)

ICCA

Anholt ranking - overall 29 out of40 cities

30 out of51 cities

29 out of51cities

AnholtCityBrandsIndex

Visitor NumbersVisitors to Greater Manchester (all) 94.6m 96.4m 97.9m 100.2m STEAMStaying visitors to Greater Manchester 9.6m 8.8m 8.2m 8.81m STEAMDay visitors to Greater Manchester 85.0m 87.6m 89.7m 91.4m STEAMVisitors to Manchester (all) 44.3m 45.3m 46.5m 48.7m STEAMInternational visits to Greater Manchester 1,191,000 1,087,000 972,000 1,016,000 IPSInternational visits to Manchester 971,000 889,000 800,000 811,000 IPSVisitor ExperienceAverage rating for destination offer (all categories)

4.2 / 5 4.5 / 5 GMVS2010

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Business Tourism Performance

• The 2009 Conference Value & Volume study provided abaseline study that evidenced strong sector performanceas indicated below:

- £573m economic impact generated to Greater Manchester. (£289m to Manchester)

- £310m income to conference venues

- £263m additional spend on accommodation, eating out etc

- 4.2m delegates generating 6.9m delegate days

- 63% of the total impact generated from delegates from outside the Northwest

- Sectors: 55% corporate; 32% Public Sector; 11% National Associations; 2% International Associations

- International delegates however contribute 7% of the economic impact

• In terms of international business visits, as measured byVisitBritain and the Office of National Statistics throughthe International Passenger Survey, Manchester remainsthird behind London & Birmingham, a strong position butidentifying that ongoing work is required to continue toraise the profile of Manchester as a business andconference destination.

• The Great British Tourism Survey undertaken by VisitEngland (formerly UKTS) shows Manchester hasincreased its position for domestic English business visitsfrom third in 2008 to second in 2010 behind only London.

Leisure Tourism Performance

• In terms of growth in domestic markets, those makingtheir first visit to Manchester in 2011 were most likely tobe from the East of England (for 28% of visitors this wastheir first visit), East Midlands (24%), London (23%) andSouth West (23%). [source: UK Short Breaks Evaluation2011]

• In 2010 Australia, Singapore and China all became newmarkets for Manchester with all three reaching the topten for international leisure visits to Manchester for thefirst time and therefore showing relatively fastdevelopment and consequent potential.

- Australia generated 14,000+ leisure visits in 2010 (compared to 9000+ in 2009) placing it third after Ireland and USA.

- Singapore generated 4500+ leisure visits in 2010 (compared to 1500+ in 2009) placing it ninth.

- China generated 4400+ leisure visits in 2010 (compared to 2500+ in 2009) placing it tenth.

• In 2007 the average length of stay was 5.5 days but thisdecreased to 4.5 in 2010 so is an area that needssupporting for the remaining lifetime of the DMP wherenational economic conditions allow (Greater ManchesterVisitors Survey 2007 and 2010).

• Visitors were asked to rate the destination’s performanceacross a range of 13 consistent categories either relatingto Greater Manchester’s tourism product offer orsupporting infrastructure. In 2007 the average rating was4.2 out of 5 which increased in 2010 to an average ratingof 4.5 out of 5.

Feedback from the 2011 Tourism Strategy Review

The Tourism Strategy review conducted in 2011 highlightedthe following areas of progress:

• Strong sector performance

• Higher visitor satisfaction levels

• Notable improvements to public transport

• An increase in conferences and notably the improvedprofile from hosting major political conferences

• Improvements in street cleansing

New Cathedral Street

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The tourism strategy review also highlighted the followingchallenges:

• The need to improve the welcome experience throughimproved signage and interpretation, the quality andexperience of our gateways and the quality of the taxidriver experience

• The need to improve engagement between the variousvisitor economy stakeholders

• The need to improve connectivity

• The need to improve the night time offer

• The need to strengthen the ‘iconic’ elements of thetourism offer

• The need to exploit more fully the business tourism offer

• The need to improve the telling of the Manchester ‘story’

• The need to develop and improve genuine distinctivenessacross Greater Manchester

In addition to the challenges highlighted above, the cityregion also faces a number of wider challenges. The currenteconomic situation means all stakeholders have lessresource and need to plan carefully to stimulate activity andmaintain and grow business levels. Leisure and Businesstourism are currently very price sensitive with short lead intimes. Public sector funding cuts have had a direct impacton Visit Manchester and the local authorities.

People have less disposable income and less job securityalthough this may help the ‘staycation’ effect. Currentincreases in fuel costs will impact on both business costsand the propensity of potential visitors to travel.Competition both within and outside the UK remains fierceand international markets will be affected by Air PassengerDuty (APD), exchange rates and the instability of the Euro.

These challenges need to be addressed through the DMPover the remainder of the strategy period, 2012 and 2013.

There are though a number of significant opportunities;

• Olympic Football, the Torch Relay and Cultural Olympiadevents in 2012, as well as any 2012 displacement effect.

• The opening of the National Football Museum in July 2012and the profile for the city region from both ManchesterUnited and Manchester City being at the top of thePremier League.

• The impact of both the relocation of the BBC toMediaCityUK and the planned relocation of ITV includingthe Coronation Street set, strengthening the visitor appealof The Quays.

• The launch of The Quays Cultural Framework and ArtsCouncil/AGMA funding for 2012 delivery.

• The continued ‘staycation’ effect and the additionalfunding provided by DCMS for the new Visit England 20.12and VisitBritain GREAT campaigns, for which Manchesterwill be a campaign partner.

• The securing of Regional Growth Fund marketing moneyby Visit England for 2012 -2015. Manchester is one of the14 primary destinations that will be working with VisitEngland on the campaign.

• The continued creation of a varied and appealing culturaland sporting events programme e.g. ManchesterInternational Festival, significantly raising the profile of thecity region.

• The continued investments in cultural facilities e.g. theWhitworth Art Gallery.

• The impact of the delivery of the National HospitalityAcademy’s ‘Hotel Futures’ hospitality training hotel inOldham by 2015.

• The opportunity to further improve the impact of businesstourism, including the confirmation of major politicalconferences through to 2017.

• The creation of visitor facilities at Chetham’s which willalso provide a platform to tell the story of ‘MedievalManchester’.

• The £1.4bn Metrolink expansion which in 2012 willconnect businesses and communities in Rochdale andOldham to the network.

• Rugby League World Cup 2013, with the potential for thefinal to be in Manchester.

• The Ashes returning to Lancashire County Cricket Club,Trafford in 2013 and Test Cricket confirmed through to2016.

• The development of Airport City to serve global marketsas a business and transport hub offering hotel,conference, retail and leisure facilities, plus an aviationinfrastructure that will accommodate growing numbers ofpassengers and cargo.

6.0 Challenges and Opportunities

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Outlined below are Manchester’s priorities as identified atthe beginning of the strategy period and as reported againstin terms of progress earlier in the document. These reflectthe findings of the tourism strategy review but essentiallyremain unchanged from previous years.

1. Enhancing the image

2. Promoting Manchester to national and international visitors

3. Creating a leading conference and business destination

4. Improving the welcome and provision of information to visitors

5. Developing and enhancing the product

6. Improving the infrastructure

There remains a perception in some markets of Manchesteras a grey, industrial city. Manchester’s original modernbrand vision is the foundation for our image. Workingtogether (public and private sectors) reinforces and addscredence to the brand, and cross-sector working enableseconomies of scale to combat these negative perceptions.

Objectives

• To change perceptions of Manchester around the world,through targeted press coverage and marketingcampaigns

• To inspire potential visitors into coming to Manchester,using the brand image to create desire

• To guide tourism stakeholders in the use and applicationof the brand

• To educate residents on local tourism assets andencourage civic pride through local media

Actions for 2012/13

7.0 Priorities and Actions going forward

Activity Leadorganisation

1. Co-ordinate media familiarisation tripsfrom priority target markets in order toachieve an AVE of £2.5m

Visit Manchester

2. Maximise the potential of the internationalunaccredited media in attendance at theOlympic Games through the delivery ofpress conferences and organisation offamiliarisation trips

Visit Manchester

3. Evolve the image bank and online filmfootage services with enhanced imagesand footage

Visit Manchester

4. Work with stakeholders on the sense ofplace strategic priority, weaving theoriginal modern brand values intodeveloping initiatives

Visit Manchester

5. Development of a global ambassadorsproject to better utilise high profile figureswho have both an association withManchester and a global impact within theirfield (prioritised in support of key messages)

Visit Manchester

6. Co-ordination of city and airport dressingfor major events and exhibitions such asPolitical Party Conferences and sportingevents (e.g. Olympic Football)

Visit Manchester/ManchesterAirport

Priority 1: Enhancing the Image

East Lancashire Railway

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Manchester is a key UK destination for both national andinternational visitors, who come here for both leisure andbusiness purposes. In 2010 Manchester was again the thirdmost visited city in the UK by international visitors. Targetedmarketing campaigns have been delivered in key marketsfor a number of years, and despite the global economicclimate, it is important that investment in marketingcontinues to ensure continued market share.

Manchester is England’s second city and boasts a majorinternational airport. It has both an urban and rural offeringwithin its city-region boundaries for leisure visitors, and aconference quarter based right in the city centre.Manchester’s location enables visitors to come from and /or go to many parts of northern, central and easternEngland and north Wales within an easy drive or train ride.Manchester’s airport serves around 200 destinationsworldwide and connects to 16 airports in the UnitedKingdom, making it easy to get to, but also a gateway toother destinations.

Objectives

• Increase the number of visitors to Manchester, encouragethem to stay longer and spend more money in the local economy

• Ensure the survival of existing key air routes

• Attract leisure visitors from new / developing markets

Actions for 2012/13

Priority 2: Promoting Manchester to National and International Visitors

Activity Lead organisation

1. Promote Manchester as a unique visitordestination within international prioritymarkets of USA, India, UAE, China,Germany, Ireland, Spain and the Nordics

Visit Manchester

2. Work with Manchester Airport andidentified airlines to increase inboundpassenger traffic

Visit Manchester/ManchesterAirport

3. Promote Greater Manchester to adomestic audience as a family friendlydestination with a diverse variety ofthings to do

Visit Manchester/Local Authorities/VisitEngland

4. Maximise opportunities created by theInternational Year of Co-Operatives 2012and designation of ‘World Capital of Co-Operatives’

Rochdale/VisitManchester

5. Create seasonal, multi-channelpromotional campaigns that driveinterest and encourage conversion tobookings, linking to thematic campaignssuch as Creative Tourist, Manchester’sCountryside and Modern History

Visit Manchester

6. Promote Manchester as a leadingEuropean conference destination

Visit Manchester/Manchester Central/ VisitEngland

Yang Sing, Chinatown


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Manchester has significant potential as a major Europeanbusiness tourism destination and with Manchester Central’sexpansion and the new facilities at the University ofManchester, the city is perfectly placed to maximise itspotential for large scale conferences. With the accessprovided by Manchester Airport, the city offers a genuinealternative to London as a place to hold major conferencesand conventions. The city has a proven track record and areputation as one of the most dynamic conferencedestinations in Europe.

The business tourism offer continues to be enhancedthrough the construction of new high-quality conferencehotels and facilities, increased budget bed-stock andongoing programmes of refurbishment which will furtherposition the City as a destination of choice.

Objectives

• Further increase the value and volume of business tourism

• Increase the number of international business tourism and conference visitors

• Improve the perception of Manchester as a conference destination

Actions for 2012/13

Priority 3: Creating a Leading Conference and Business Destination


1. Strengthen the offer within key markets,including a combined bidding processfor international associations

Visit Manchester/PetersfieldPartnership

2. Accelerate work with the fouruniversities to investigate the potentialof key academic research strengthsdelivering national and internationalconference business

Visit Manchester/Universities

3. Refine the research and lead generationapproach within key markets to targetinternational associations

Visit Manchester

4. Re-ignite the ambassador programme to identify and energise both new andexisting local hosts to help attractinternational conferences

Visit Manchester/Universities/Manchester Central

5. Support the partnership with ManchesterAcademic Health Science Centre(MAHSC) to create a unique programmeof conferences led by academics,researchers and surgeons in MAHSC

Visit Manchester/MAHSC

6. Explore key city initiatives to ensureconferences play an important role inthe strategy (e.g. The Graphene Hub,Airport City and MediaCityUK)

Visit Manchester/New Economy/Manchester Central

7. Visit Manchester to contribute to thevalue and volume of business tourismby supporting potential conferencebusiness to the value of £30 million per annum

Visit Manchester

8. Work with the key gateways;Manchester Airport and ManchesterPiccadilly to improve delegate welcome

Visit Manchester/ManchesterAirport/Network Rail

Manchester United

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Information to visitors can be separated into two distinctareas: providing visitors with succinct, easy to findinformation to assist them in researching and planningtheir trip, and supporting them when they arrive throughdifferent contact points across the destination. Whereverpossible we aim to maximise the economic contributionof visitors: encouraging them to stay longer, do more and spend more money.

Objectives

• To increase visitor dispersal, motivating longer stays and repeat visits

• To ‘make it easy’ for the visitor to find out about Manchester, to book their journey and the services they require during the stay

• To improve Manchester’s welcome to enhance and addvalue to the visitor experience

• To provide the “right” information to visitors through the channel most relevant and appropriate for their needs

• To support and encourage the quality and breadth of the visitor offer and visitor experience

Actions for 2012/13

Priority 4: Improving the Provision of Information to Visitors


1. Deliver the next iteration ofvisitmanchester.com, incorporating atravel layer and a fully functionalmobile version of the site to assistvisitors during their stay

Visit Manchester

2. Focus promotional campaign activity on the variety of things to see and doacross Greater Manchester in order toencourage greater dispersal and repeat visits

Visit Manchester

3. Provide an excellent visitor informationservice across Greater Manchestermaximising digital and mobiletechnology wherever possible

Visit Manchester/Local Authorities

4. Incorporate mapping technologyutilised on Microsoft Surface Tableswithin the MVIC into new digital streetfurniture being developed by MediaCo

Manchester

5. Maximise the city dressingopportunities presented by theOlympic Games, working with keygateways to improve the visitorwelcome

Visit Manchester

6. Investigate the potential fornew/improved visitor informationusing mobile technology, apps etcthrough Manchester City Council’s‘Hackathon’ event in summer 2012

Manchester/VisitManchester

Bramall Hall

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This priority area covers all aspects of the tourism product,primarily focusing on the businesses themselves and theiremployees, but also including the product in terms ofdispersal strategies and what visitors do when they cometo Manchester. It also covers reasons to encourage visitorsto come, such as events and festivals.

The visitor’s experience is influenced by a number of areas,not least the quality of the accommodation, the visitorattractions, the restaurants, and the service that is receivedduring the stay. High quality and consistency is particularlyimportant to a destination attracting so many internationaland business visitors. We need to raise our game to ensurethat we do deliver a world class service.

Objectives

• To ensure that Manchester’s visitor experience meets expectations and delivers quality on all levels

• To continue to develop the appeal, profile and impact of events and festivals

• To support tourism businesses to improve their productivity and profitability by ensuring that tourism businesses are supported to fill skills gaps and meet training needs, to improve quality and accessibility, and to promote sustainable growth

• To support signature projects, filling gaps in the offer, and offering opportunities to develop the visitor experience

• To improve the quality and reputation of the food and drink offer and support the use of local foods and suppliers

Actions for 2012/13

Priority 5: Developing and Enhancing the Product


1. Delivery of successful 2012 events;Torch Relay, Cultural Olympiad,Olympic football

Trafford/Manchester

2.Supporting the continued growth anddevelopment of The Quays as avisitor destination including deliveryin 2012 of the Arts Council/AGMAfunded Quays Cultural Framework

Salford/Trafford(Quays VisitorDestination Group)

3. Delivery of an improved businesssupport signposting service througha new visitmanchester.com/corporate site

Visit Manchester

4. Maximise opportunities from thelaunch of the National FootballMuseum in July 2012

Visit Manchester/Manchester

5. Continue to build a quality visitoroffer based on QiT and VAQASaccreditation and supported byAnnual Tourism Awards


6. Launch the revamped PioneersMuseum, summer 2012 and retainand expand the Greater ManchesterFire Service Museum

Rochdale

7. Continued progress with the ‘HotelFutures’ National Hospitality TrainingAcademy hotel project following theprojects launch in March 2012

Manchester HoteliersAssociation/Oldham

8. Continued development of highquality events to increase visitorsand help develop sense of placeacross Greater Manchester e.g. BuryLight Night, Dig the City, Bolton 2012Year of Sport

Local Authorities

9. Delivery of Tourism Connect outputsimproving quality and creating jobsin rural accommodation

Visit Manchester

10. Delivery of Food Connect outputsthrough to 2013 improving the profileand use of local food and drink


11. £4.5m Refurbishment of BoltonMarket, starting in 2013

Bolton

12.Continued growth and developmentof East Lancashire Railway as a keyattraction in north Manchester

Bury/Rochdale

13. Further HLF bid for Bramall Hallfollowing success of initial bid.Planned improvements includesignificant repairs, improvedinterpretation and new visitorfacilities

Stockport

Manchester Art Gallery


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Manchester has a built environment with a pronouncedhistorical significance from the amazing industrialbuildings, the modern city centre and the waterways tothe smaller towns and easily accessible countryside thatappeal to a range of visitors. However, the quality of thepublic spaces is not always of a high standard andthrough our vision to create a destination that is inspiringfor its residents, we will be creating a better qualityenvironment for our visitors. In addition to this, we needto ensure that visitors are able to travel around the city-region easily, reaching parts of the destination thatappeal to them and we must put into place strategies toensure the city is a 24 hour city, and one that has appealto families.

Objectives

• To improve the quality of the public realm in key destinations across Greater Manchester, particularly encouraging the development of green space and blue corridors wherever possible

• To develop strategies to open up the city and towns during evenings and nights to a wider audience

• To support the development of “icons” increasing the attractiveness of the tourism offer

• To improve sustainable transport options and integration for visitors, and provide better information and easier ticketing options

Actions for 2012/13

Priority 6: Improving the Infrastructure


1. Establishment of the ManchesterVisitor Economy Forum as theprinciple stakeholder groupoverseeing destination managementand visitor economy growth

Visit Manchester

2. Maximise opportunities to improvetravel and local transport informationfor visitors as a result ofManchester’s Digital Strategy

Manchester/ Visit Manchester

3. Greater Manchester investmentprogramme into next generationbroadband focused on town centres

AGMA

4. Significant investment in Metrolinkextensions to Manchester Airport,Oldham, Rochdale and Ashton andnew transport interchanges inAltrincham (Trafford), Bolton andRochdale

TfGM

5. Development of coachstrategy/coach drivers code ofpractice and progress towards‘Coach Friendly’ status in the citycentre. Local Authorities to maintain‘coach friendly’ status as appropriatefor each town centre

Local Authorities

6. Implement the recently completedCity Centre Way Finding Strategy toimprove the ease of navigationacross the city and engender asense of place, using digitalapplications wherever possible

Manchester/Visit Manchester

7. Collaborative focus at a GreaterManchester level on thedevelopment of town centresincluding looking at joint marketingand Purple Flag accreditation toaddress night time economy issues

AGMA

8. Rochdale town centreredevelopment including THI bids forRochdale and Middleton

Rochdale

9. Support for Network Rail investmentinto Victoria Station upgrade,Northern Hub investment and NorthWest electrification

New Economy/TfGM/ VisitManchester

10. Review of visitor welcome aspectof taxi driver training

Manchester HoteliersAssociation/Manchester/Visit Manchester

11. Continued development anddelivery of Irwell River Park

SalfordMetrolink

Documents

Greater Manchester Destination Management Plan · Party Conferences 2013-17, Soccerex Global Convention 2014-17 and Chartered Institute of Housing 2012 and 2013. • The 2010 Conference